The first time that the UCLA women’s water polo team traveled to Palo Alto this season, they dropped a tough pair of tournament games, including a disappointing loss against host Stanford.
On Friday, the No. 3 Bruins (20-4, 5-1 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) traveled to the No. 1 Cardinal (21-1, 5-0) in the penultimate conference match of the season and played the top team in the nation again.
And again, they fell, this time, 9-8.
Despite the loss, the Bruins were encouraged by their play in a showdown between a pair of water polo powers.
“We’ve made tremendous strides since the first time we played Stanford,” coach Adam Krikorian said. “The progress that this team has showed since that point has been remarkable. We are more than capable of playing with the best teams in the country.”
Both the Bruins and the Cardinal entered the game playing their best water polo of the season, with UCLA entering the match having won 10 straight games and the Cardinal on a 17-game winning streak.
With two top squads playing so well this late in the season, Krikorian noted that the intensity of the game was almost tangible.
“From a coach’s perspective and from a fan’s perspective, this was one of the most exciting games I’ve witnessed,” he said. “Any time two elite teams like these butt heads, it makes for a terrific atmosphere, and I definitely wasn’t disappointed.”
Senior goalkeeper Brittany Fullen, who had 12 saves to help keep the game close, echoed her coach’s thoughts on the thrill that the match provided.
“Any time you play Stanford at their place, under the lights and with all their fans, it’s a really great time,” she said. “Both teams were playing at an extremely high level, which made it even more fun.”
The Bruins were able to get off to their trademark fast start, jumping out to a 2-0 lead behind goals from senior attacker Tanya Gandy and freshman attacker Sarah Orozco. Stanford quickly rallied to tie the score, and the teams traded goals throughout the contest before the Cardinal built an 8-6 late in the fourth quarter and held on for the 9-8 victory.
Gandy, senior attacker Anne Belden, and sophomore attacker Priscilla Orozco each had a pair of goals for the Bruins.
Following the match, Krikorian gave credit to his opponent while still praising his own squad’s effort.
“Stanford is the No. 1 team in the country for good reason,” he said. “They’re strong and fast, and their depth gave us some problems. We had some issues with execution in the fourth quarter, but, overall, I thought we played a great game against a great team.”
The aftermath of the match will make for a dramatic finish for Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play, with the Bruins dropping a game behind undefeated Stanford and with a game still to play against the Trojans on Saturday at Sunset Canyon Recreation Center.
The Trojans and the Cardinal will meet in the final MPSF game of the season for both teams a week later in a game that will likely finalize the seeding of top teams for the MPSF Tournament.
Faced with the likelihood of seeing Stanford again in a playoff scenario, Fullen believes the Bruins have now proved themselves more than ready to meet the challenge.
“We were extremely encouraged by our performance on Friday,” she said. “Our level of confidence has risen significantly since earlier in the season, and we know that if we face Stanford again, we won’t have to question whether or not we can play with them.”